Flower Mound Marcus third baseman Bonna Molina (4) is late with the tag, as Flower Mound's Maurie Jamele (1) slides safely in for the steal during the fourth inning of an UIL high school softball actionat the Flower Mound High Softball Field on Tuesday, April 16, 2013.

Local 5A title drought: A Dallas-area team hasn’t won a Class 5A state championship in softball since Garland did it in 2007. That was also the last time a local team made a 5A state final. Only one Dallas-area team is in the top 10 in the 5A state rankings — Flower Mound at No. 10. It will have to contend with a daunting 5A playoff bracket that includes nationally ranked Pearland, Lubbock Coronado and Cy-Fair, as well as defending 5A state champion Deer Park.

Three in a row for Forney? Forney is trying to become the first Dallas-area team to reach the state tournament three consecutive years since Garland made it four years in a row from 2005 to 2008. Forney lost in the state semifinals last season and was the 4A state runner-up in 2011. Led by DePaul signee Micah Fitzgerald (.589 batting average, 48 runs), District 10-4A champion Forney has won 17 of its last 18 games and is ranked 23rd in the state in 4A.

Injuries: Flower Mound Marcus senior Hannah Null and Lewisville freshman Maribeth Gorsuch have been two of the area’s best pitchers, but both are dealing with injuries. Null, an Abilene Christian signee who is 13-1 with an area-best 0.08 ERA, has a strained hip flexor. She has missed five games and has pitched only 11/3 innings in relief for the state’s 25th-ranked 5A team since March 28. Gorsuch, who is 16-4 with a 1.51 ERA, has strained intercostals (the muscles that run between the ribs) and hasn’t pitched since April 9. Null is going to try to pitch in the playoffs. It’s uncertain if Gorsuch will be able to.

Did you know?

Mesquite Poteet is back in the playoffs after missing out the last two years. Before that, Poteet had made the playoffs 15 consecutive years, which included trips to the state semifinals in 2003 and 2009. Arkansas pledge Madison Yannetti is among the area’s top hitters, batting .596 with six home runs and 40 RBIs for the state’s 18th-ranked 4A team, and Shelby Wilson is hitting .500 with seven homers and 41 RBIs.

The Colony coach Deana Coleman and her daughter, Sachse assistant Ashlee Coleman Wilkerson, both made the playoffs. The Colony won District 9-4A, claiming the first softball district title in school history behind Tori Hawk (.433, seven home runs) and pitcher Lindsay Jacobs (18-4).

Bishop Lynch’s Susu Taylor is a cheerleader and homecoming queen, but she also is tied for the RBIs lead among area private school players with 42 and is second in home runs with seven. With Taylor and pitcher Darrianne Hale (14-2, .537 batting average, 12 home runs, 41 RBIs) leading the way, Bishop Lynch (31-5) could challenge for the TAPPS 5A state title. Coach Amy Wheeler recently earned her 300th career win.

Flower Mound freshman Kellie Wanhanen is a part-time starter at shortstop, is in the choir, takes honors classes and is already a track standout. She was asked to join the track team a few weeks ago, and after practicing the long jump once, she finished second at district and just missed the school record. She qualified for regionals in the triple jump. Her brother Connor played quarterback for Flower Mound last season.

Notable first-round matchups

Arlington Martin vs. Southlake Carroll: District 3-5A co-champion Martin faces a Carroll team that has a win over state-ranked Keller.

Lake Highlands vs. Plano: District 9-5A champion Lake Highlands is 19-3 behind freshman pitcher Mary Kate Brennan (19-3, 5A-area best .655 batting average). Plano (15-14) finished fourth in 10-5A, but Memphis signee Calli Irvin is among the area home run leaders with eight, and Plano has reached at least the regional quarterfinals each of the last three years.

Birdville vs. Fort Worth Brewer: Brewer is ranked 20th in the state in 4A. It will have to contend with Birdville all-state pitcher Susan Welborn (16-7), a Texas Tech signee, as well as Jordan Hendrix (.395, six homers, 42 RBIs).

Teams to watch

Richland: The District 4-5A champion has won 12 of its last 13 games, is ranked 14th in the state in 5A and has wins over state-ranked Flower Mound and Keller. Junior Haley Freyman has an area-best 24 wins to go with a 1.29 ERA. Oklahoma State pledge Maddi Holcomb can hit (.593 average) and run (21 steals), and Shelby Watson has nine home runs.

Ennis: After reaching the 4A Region II final last year — falling one win short of the state tournament — Ennis is 27-2 and ranked No. 3 in the state. A year after leading the area in RBIs, UT-Arlington signee Riley Fira is tied for the area RBIs lead with 58 and is hitting .487 with 10 home runs. Taylor Maliska is 20-2 with a 4A-area best 0.88 ERA, and Julia Hollingsworth and Michaela Cochran are hitting .610 and .582, respectively.

Mansfield Legacy: Baylor pledge Kendall Potts missed a lot of time this season with a wrist injury, but she is back pitching for the state’s eighth-ranked 4A team. Potts has a 0.48 ERA and has allowed only nine hits while striking out 50 in 29 innings. Tulsa signee Brittany Walker is hitting .493, and Kolbee Gray and Ryan Wright have combined for 60 RBIs.

Kennedale: The state’s third-ranked 3A team has outscored the opposition 113-6 during its current nine-game winning streak. It lost to West in last year’s 3A Region I final.

Hitters to watch

Chelsea Herndon, Hebron: The Florida signee is tied for the 5A area lead in home runs with 10 and is hitting .562 with 42 RBIs for the state’s 19th-ranked 5A team. She is also 12-4 as a pitcher. She hit .481 in the playoffs last year during an all-state junior season and led Hebron to the 5A Region I final.

Taylor McAllister, McKinney North: The Texas signee is hitting .611, and 10 of her 33 hits have been home runs.

Brooke McCarroll, Forney: A year after hitting an area-best 16 home runs, the UT-San Antonio signee has eight homers and is hitting .449. She had a monster postseason last year, with six home runs and 17 RBIs in 11 playoff games.

Ariel Ortiz, Waxahachie: The Texas State pledge is tied for the area lead in RBIs with 58, is tied for second in the area in home runs with 12 and is hitting .615. She is part of a powerful lineup that includes Brooke Goad (.446, 13 home runs, 45 RBIs) and Miranda Herron (.547, eight home runs, 51 RBIs).

April Ryan, Keller: The Texas A&M signee is hitting .538 with 39 RBIs for the state’s 23rd-ranked 5A team, and half of her hits have gone for extra bases. With a lineup that features Ryan, Texas A&M pledge Kaitlyn Alderink (.511, 30 RBIs) and Texas Tech signee Brittany Lee (.427, six home runs, 41 RBIs), District 4-5A runner-up Keller has beaten six teams currently in the state rankings.

Pitchers to watch

Skylar Cagle, Pilot Point: The Northwestern State signee was all-state in 3A last year and has been unbeatable in 2A. She is 19-0 with a 0.97 ERA, is hitting .660 with five home runs and 36 RBIs and has led Pilot Point (31-1-1) to the state’s No. 1 ranking in 2A.

Mariah Denson, Mansfield Timberview: The freshman, who has committed to Oklahoma State, led the state’s 18th-ranked 5A team to the District 7-5A title. Despite taking six months off from softball before the start of the season while recovering from a fractured vertebra in her back, Denson is 17-2 with a 1.18 ERA and 165 strikeouts.

Ashley Dumoulin, Trophy Club Byron Nelson: The Rhode Island signee is 23-8 with a 1.47 ERA for the state’s 13th-ranked 4A team. The all-state pitcher ranks in the top six among area 4A players in wins, ERA and strikeouts.

Brittany Lewis, Lovejoy: The Stephen F. Austin signee followed up last year’s all-state season by going 15-1 with a 1.74 ERA for District 13-4A champion Lovejoy.

Erin Riding, McKinney Boyd: The sophomore, who has committed to Iowa, is 16-9 with a 1.25 ERA. She leads all area pitchers in strikeouts with 281 in 1562/3 innings.

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